A study done in late October 2004 shows that nearly half of
adult women currently use adult sex toys or have tried them in
the past. And women in relationships are even more likely to use
them.
The report comes from Chicago's Berman Center. Directed by sex
therapist Laura Berman, LCSW, PhD, the center focuses on women's
sexual health and menopause.
A random sample of almost 2,600 women aged 18 to 60 were
invited to participate in the survey. About 1,600 agreed to
complete the survey, answering questions about their
relationship status and use of adult sex toys.
According to the survey:
· 44% said they currently use a sex toy or had done so in the
past. The most commonly used adult sex toys were vibrators.
· Young women aged 25-34 were the most likely to have ever used
a sex toy, with 51% of participants in that age group reporting
current or past sex toy use.
· Women aged 55-60 were just as likely to have tried a sex toy
at some point in their lives. However, they were half as likely
as younger women to currently use sex toys.
Most current or past sex toy users were in relationships and
said they did not view the devices as a substitute for a partner.
· Of unmarried women living with their partners, 43% said they
currently used adult sex toys, and 17% said they had used them
in the past.
· Among women in relationships who were not living with their
partners, 35% said they currently used sex toys, and 21% said
they had done so in the past.
Sex toy use was less common among women not in relationships.
22% of single women said they were current sex toy users; 12%
said they had used sex toys in the past.
The use of adult sex toys was most popular among white women and
women with some college education.
· Thirty-four percent of white women said they currently used
sex toys, compared with 22% of black participants, 19% of
Hispanics, and 8% of "other" races.
· Thirty-seven percent of women with some college education
(but not a degree) were current sex toy users, compared with 26%
of women with a college degree and 29% of high school graduates
with no college education.
Overall, women had a "neutral-to-positive" outlook on sex toy
use. After controlling for demographic variables, "current sex
toy users, whether or not in a steady healthy relationship, were
significantly more likely to report a higher level of desire and
interest for sex," says the report. "However, current and former
users who were not in steady healthy relationships were still
less satisfied with their overall sexual life than their
counterparts." Most sex toy users (about 90%) said they were
open about it with their partners. Almost two-thirds of women
said their partners were supportive of their sex toy use. The
main reason people use or have used adult sex toys is curiosity.
|
